Top 5 obesity stories from ENDO 2015

Endocrine Today has compiled a list of the top five obesity stories posted online to come from The Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Liraglutide improves weight, HbA1c in adults with overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes

SAN DIEGO — More patients with overweight and obesity achieved clinically meaningful weight loss with liraglutide 3 mg and 1.8 mg compared with placebo, according to research presented here.

Patients who responded to liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza; Novo Nordisk) achieved a total weight loss of approximately 10% and greater improvements in HbA1c, suggesting an additional treatment benefit, with the rates of adverse events similar at both doses. Read more.

Vytorin may inhibit, reverse proinflammatory effects of diet in patients with type 2 diabetes

SAN DIEGO — Combination therapy with Vytorin to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood appears to provide an anti-inflammatory effect and to reduce proinflammatory mediators after consumption of fatty foods, according to research presented here.

In a cohort feeding challenge involving 20 patients with type 2 diabetes, Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin, Merck) reversed the action of cream from stimulating toll-like receptors 4 and 2 (TLR-4 and TLR-2) to paradoxically suppressing their appearance. Read more.

Intranasal oxytocin holds potential for weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity

SAN DIEGO — A single intranasal dose of the hypothalamic peptide hormone oxytocin reduces caloric intake and has beneficial metabolic effects in adult men, according to research presented at The Endocrine Society annual meeting.

Whether sustained administration of oxytocin is safe and effective to treat patients with obesity warrants further investigation, according to researchers. Read more.

Short-term fructose restriction in children reduces sugar-to-fat conversion in liver

SAN DIEGO — Dietary fructose restriction for 10 days reduced the conversion of sugar to fat in the liver and decreased liver fat among black and Latino adolescents regardless of weight loss, according to research presented here.

The findings point to hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) not only as a key mechanism leading to increased liver fat in children with obesity, but a target area that can be reversed by curbing consumption of fructose for a short period, according to researchers. Read more.

Long-term weight loss may be more likely with low-fat diet

SAN DIEGO — Fat oxidation appears to decrease quickly and plateau with a diet low in carbohydrates compared with no change with a diet low in fat, according to research presented here.

However, greater fat imbalance is likely to persist with a low-fat eating regimen, leading to more body fat loss in the long term, according to researchers. Read more.